Statoil employees feared even greater cuts – Offshore.no

Despite Statoil notifies its largest position shot ever, more employees relieved that it was not as bad as they had feared.

Statoil cuts between 1100 and 1500 permanent employees and 525 consultants by the end of 2016, according to a news release Tuesday morning. Thus confirming the information from Dagens Næringsliv from last week. The aim is that the downsizing will be achieved by volunteering.

representative for around 1,500 NITO organized in Statoil, Stig Lægreid, has been involved in discussions about the framework for the reorganization of the company. Tuesday he stood on the stand and talked with many Statoil employees after news of the cuts was official:

– The majority notes that the estimate is out less than they feared. I believe that with the means we have and the 18 months available, so we can do this without having to denounce anyone, says he said.

Can be tough

primarily engineers who are affected, but it is not defined exactly what positions that go out yet. This is something Statoil will return to the end of June.

– There is still only an estimate based on what is possible in the various areas, says Lægreid.

He thinks labor market may be tougher than many people think of them as may be terminated:

– It is a myth that engineers with petroleum expertise can walk right into the other engineering positions, so there is no certainty that it will be so easy getting a job outside the company as it has been before.

Balancing act

In an initiative last Friday reacts President of Tekna, Lise Lyngsnes Randeberg, following the news cuts, which coincided with forecasts from Statistics Norway showing that investments in oil companies is higher than expected in 2015. Randeberg fear the loss of valuable skills, a concern she shares with Lægreid in NITO:

– It will be the main challenge Now, to both downsize the short term while retaining expertise and capacity to meet the challenges and tasks that come forward. We must be prepared for better times too, so it comes to finding a balance.

Sorry

– We regret the need for further reductions, but the improvements required to strengthen Statoil’s competitiveness and secure our future value creation, says Anders Opedal, the company’s executive vice president for operations.

– Decisions about staffing reductions due to efficiency will be taken in each business based on assessments involving managers and union representatives and local discussion. Once this is complete, we know how accurately the current estimate is. This work will take place in the business areas in the period from August to November, said personnel director Magne Hovden in Statoil.

Volunteering

Since the end of 2013, the workforce in Statoil decreased by 1,340 permanent employees and 995 external consultants. It has happened according to the company through more limited use of consultants, natural attrition, internal redeployment to new positions, severance pay and early retirement. Recruitment has been very limited, but the company stresses that it has sought to recruit apprentices and graduates.

– We have so far solved redundancies through voluntary arrangements, and our goal is still the downsizing process the next 18 months to be implemented voluntary, said personnel director.